Distributing apparatus.



BATENTED'" MAY 14, 1907. 'G. c. ELLERTON. DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS.

APPLIQATION FILED NOV. 24, 1906.-

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PATENTED MAY 14 1907.-

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DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION IILBD NOV-(24,1906.

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APPLIOATION IILED' NOV. 24; 1906.

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DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

LL-atented May 14,1907.

Application fil d November 24, 1906. Serial No. 344,976-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. ELLERTON, a citizen of the United States,and a warrant machinist in the United States Navy, serving on boardUnited States steamship Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Distributing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in distributing apparatus, and isespecially designed to distribute coal, grain, or similararticlesloosely in the hold of a ship, although it is not restricted to' suchuses. It is par ticularly advantageous in case of stowing grain and coalin bulk in the hold of the ship, as it lessens the expense of loadingthe vessel, and avoids the danger involved in stowing away the load byhand.

With this object in view, my invention consists in the construction andcombinations of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed 1n theaccompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a section through a vessel takenthrough two decks and showing my improvement applied to the hatch of theupper deck, and also indicating in dotted lines my improvement appliedto the hatch of the lower deck. Fig. 2 is aside elevation, on a largerscale, of my improved. apparatus showing it resting upon the hatchcoaming. Fig. 3 is a top plan view showing my invention resting on andsupported by the hatch coaming. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the turnbuckle device. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the revolving distributerdetached. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 66 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is acentral vertical section, on an enlarged scale, I

of the driving shaft and connected parts. Fig. 8 is a sectional detailshowing connection between distributing cone and telescoping tube.

(1 represents the sides of a vessel, 1) the upper deck, and c the lowerdeck thereof. The upper deck is provided with a hatch d having a coaminge on which my improved apparatus is adapted to be supported, as shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

The apparatus is supported on the hatch coaming by means of athree-armed frame, the three armsf of whichare joined to a centralrectangular portion g. T 0 each of the three arms f a movable clamp h isattached by means of the set screw 6. rangement described, the frame isadapted to fit hatch coamings of different sizes. The clamp h is adaptedto fit over the hatch coaming 6, as shown at j, in Fig. 1, and is of anydesired type.

Centrally of the two longer sides of the rectangular portion 9 of thesupporting frame are arranged bearings 7c adapted to receive thetrunnions m of the thrust saddle n. This is made in two parts, as shownin Fig. 2, said parts being united by the screws or bolts 0. It isprovided with a series of projections 79 which engage correspondingdepressions in the thrust sleeve q..

1" represents the driving shaft, shown in Fig. 7 as hollow, although, ofcourse, it may be solid, if desired. The thrust sleeve q is attached tothe shaft 1' by means ofa bolt 8, and binding block f. A driving pulleyu is adjustably attached by means of the screws o to the shaft 1 abovethe thrust sleeve.

to represents a plug provided with an eye bolt 00, which is fastened bymeans of pins y into the upper part of the hollow shaft 1'. This is forthe purpose of raising or lowering the entire apparatus, when desired,by means of suitable tackle.

To keep the thrust saddle and the thrust sleeve in their proper relativepositions I use an annular disk 1 attached by means of bolts 2 to thetop of the thrust saddle n. This disk is provided with a downwardlyprojecting circular flange 3, which fits in a recess in the top of thethrust saddle n. Between the disk or collar 1 and the thrust saddle is asoft packing made of any desired material, which makes the thrustbearing dust proof.

5 represents an oil cup connected'by means of a passage 6 to thejunction of the thrust sleeve and thrust saddle to lubricate saidjunction.

The lower end of the thrust saddle n is provided With a circular recessinto which projects the upper end of a stationary pipe 7, whichsurrounds the shaft 1". Between the By the arupper end of this pipe andthe thrust saddle is a packing 8 of absorbent material to keep out dust.

9 represents an oil cup which, by means of a pipe 10, supplies oilbetween the bearing in lower end of the pipe 7 and shaft 1".

Outside of the pipe 7 is a pipe 11, telescoping on the pipe 7 andarranged to be fastened in any desired position thereon. The upper partof the pipe 11 is split, as shown at 12,

and screw threaded, and a nut 13 having spanner grooves 14 thereonisadapted to engage the threads on the upper part of the pipe 11. Byloosening the nut 13, the pipe 11 may be slid downward on the pipe 7from the position shown in Fig. 7, the set screws 12 and 8 having beenloosened and the shaft 1* lowered, and by means of the nut 13, the pipes11 and 7 may be securely clamped together again in any desired position,so that this binding connection between the pipes 11 and 7 will tend tosupport the weight of the telescoping pipe 1]. independently of the stayrods 16 hereinafter referred to.

The lower end of the pipe 11 suspends a deflecting member illustrated inthe draw ings as a hollow truncated cone 15, which cone is connected torods or wires 16, each provided with an adjustable turn buckle 17suspended by clips 18 to fit over the hatch coaming. This deflectingmember or distributing cone may be secured to the pipe 11 in anysuitable way, but as shown in Fig. 8, I prefer to have the lower end ofthe pipe projeet downwardly through the cone, the upper end of the conebeing securely riveted or otherwise affixed thereto, and the lower endof the pipe 11 being provided with the enlarged inwardly projectingportion 11, preferably of Babbitt metal, to form a bearing for therevoluble shaft 1". A dust proof gland may be provided at the lower endof the pipe 11.

On the lower end of the revoluble sh aft 1' is mounted the distributerdevice shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6. This consists of a central portion 19made like a wheel and having a downwardly projecting hub 20 providedwith an interior screw thread with which the lower screw threaded end ofthe shaft 1' is adapted to engage. To this wheel 19 are attached thedistributer plates 21 of the peculi'ar form shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6,that to say approximately curved into the form of a semicircle in crosssection, but flaring outwardly from the central wheel, as shown in Fig.5, and having their upper edges 22 diverging from each other.

The adjacent distributer plates are secured together by means of rivets23 and are secured to the wheel 19 by means of rivets 24. The edges 22at their outer ends diverge from each other a considerable distance tothrow the material under treatment out from the center, and thisparticular shape of the distributer plates I regard as of considerableimportance.

The inner parts of the edges 22 come closer together, as best shown inFig. 5, and to pre vent the material which falls down upon the cone 15,from getting in between, and from battering the inner part of the edges22 of the distributer plates, I provide clips 25, Fig. 6, which are bentover the meeting line of the lower part of said edges and fastened bymeans of rivets 26.

The horizontal webs of the distributer plates 21 may have a reinforcedsupport, as shown in Fig. 2, wherein 20 designates angle plates suitablysecured to the horizontal webs and the hub 20 as by rivets or bolts.

Some little distance above the cone 15, and surrounding the tube 11, isa hopper 27, conical in shape, with its larger end upward and open atthe top and bottom. .Into this hopper the ordinary telescopic pipe 25delivers the grain or other material to he stowed away. This hopper isarranged at some lit tle distance from the tube 11, and is supported bymeans of two ropes 2%) and 30. The lower end of the cord 29, forexample, is attached to an eye 31 in the hopper 28, and passes up over apulley 32 supported in a clip 33 adapted to be supported on the hatchcoaming. The cord 29 thence passes over a pulley 33, around which it iswrapped several times, and downward to an eye 34 on the hopper 27. Thepulley 33 is mounted in a bracket 35 provided with a clip :36, which isadapted to engage the hatch coaming, and this pulley is provided with ahandle 37 and a ratchet and pawl arrangement 33. The cord 30 isconnected to the hopper 27 in precisely the same way, and those cordsare arranged nearly at right angles to each other.

In operation it will be observed that the whole device is swung intoposition over the hold by means of a crane suspending apparatus by theeyelet x, and. when lowered into the hold the ari'ns f of the frame reston the .hatch coaming, and the attendants looking out for the stay rods,tackle, etc may now afliX the clips in position on the hatch coaming andclamp the frame down by 11 runs of the clamping members It securely tothe coaming. At the same time, should the yessel be in a listedposition, it will be observed that by means of the trunnion connectionbetween the thrust saddle and the frame, there is no undue lateralstrain on the frame, as would otherwise be the case when the frame restsin position over the hatch.

In actual operation, it will be observed that the thrust saddle n, thepipes 7 and 11, and the deflecting member 15 are statio'mn'y, while theshaft 1', thrust sleeve 9 and the distributing device revolve.

The parts being in. their working positions and suitably stayed up, uponimparting motion to the shaft '2 through any suitable driving means,such as the pulley u, the materialing device is rapidly rotated and thecoal or other article being loaded discharging through the chute 28(Fig. 1) into the hopper 27, is directed downwardly in a substantiallyvertical direction on to the deflecting member or cone 15, whichdeflects same olf laterally on to the curved revolving blades 22 of thedistributing device, in such a manner that the strain or shock islessened on the lat l tel, owing to the fact that the nntteriul has ICCalready had imparted thereto, by the deflection of the cone 15, a motiontaken up by the revolving blades, which throw the material upwardly andoutwardly into the spaces in the hold to be filled. The deflecting cone15 also serves another useful purpose in connection with the adjustablehopper 27. It is understood that when the material is discharged on tothe cone 15 and to the distributing device, it is carried a certaindistance around by the distributing device, before it is centrifugallydischarged therefrom, so that by regulating the fall of material on thecone 15, the position of discharge from the distributing device, withreference to the hold being filled, may be regulated. This is desirableas frequently one section of the hold may be filled and a big space leftin another part near the top thereof. To accomplish this desired end, itwill be observed that by operating the drums 33, the position of thehopper 27 may be shifted laterally above the cone, so that the positionof discharge on the 'latter can be regulated, and hence the position ofdelivery to the distributing device and the position of dischargetherefrom.

Again, where it is desired to elevate the device, for instance from theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 to the position shown in fulllines, upon releasing set screws 1) and s and upon releasing the nut 13,by means of a cable connected to the eyelet 0c and a suitable crane, therod 7" may be elevated carrying with it the distributing device and thecone 15 resting thereon, the pipe 11 telescoping on the pipe 7. When theparts have reached their elevated position, the set screws v and s andthe nut 13 may be. tightened up again and the stay rods 16 and cables 29and 30 readjusted to suit the changed conditions.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that by the construction andmanner of mounting my improved apparatus, a number of advantageousfeatures are accomplished, among them being that the weight of thedevice when in operation is taken up by the stays 16 and is not on thecenter of the frame as in constructions heretofore; also theinstallation of the apparatus is always done from the outside,absolutely avoiding anynecessity of an attendant going into the hold;also the apparatus may be readily adjusted in a vertical direction aswell as having means for controlling the discharge of the material intoany portion of the hold; also by virtue of the trunnion bearings thereis no lateral strain on the frame, in case the vessel should be listed,while the stay rods are being fastened in position.

It may also be noted, referring to Fig. 3, that when the side members ofthe clamp h are close together, in addition to the frame arms f beingheld by the set screw i, the

frame is additionally prevented from slipping by the inner edges of thediverging arms coming into engagement with the inside clamp members, asat f should the frame tend to move to the right in Fig. 3, and theoutside edges of the arms would bind against the outside members of theclamp, as at f, should the frame tend to move to the left.

While forthe purpose of disclosure, I have described a constructionillustrated in the drawings as a practical embodiment of my invention,still I wish it to be understood. that I do not limit myself to theexact details thereof, but

What I claim is 1. In a distributing apparatus, the oo1nbination of asupporting frame, a rotatable shaft pivotally mounted on said frame, anda distributing device carried by said shaft, substantially as described.

2. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame, arotatable shaft pivotally mounted on said frame, a distributing devicecarried by said shaft, and a hopper mounted above said distributingdevice, substantially as described.

3. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame, arotatable shaft pivotally mounted in said frame and carrying adistributing device on its lower end, and an open ended hoppersurrounding said shaft and adjustable relatively thereto, substantiallyas described.

4. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame, ashaft mounted in said frame and carrying a dis tributing device at itslower end, an open ended hopper surrounding said-shaft, and means foradjusting said hopper n relation to said shaft, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame, arotatable shaft pivotally mounted in said frame, a distributing devicecarried on the lower end of said shaft, and means located above saiddistributing device for throwing the material under treatment, as itfalls, outwardly into said distributing device, substantially asdescribed.

6. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame, arotatable shaft ivotally mounted in said frame, means for adjusting saidshaft up and down relatively to said frame, a distributing devicecarried by the lower end of said shaft, telescoping pipessurroundingsaid shaft, and a distributing cone supported at the lower end of saidtelescoping pipes, substantially as described.

7. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame, arotatable shaft pivotally mounted in said frame, means for adjustingsaid shaft relatively to said frame, a distributing device carried bythe lower end of said shaft, telescoping pipes surrounding said shaft,means for securing said pipes in different positions relatively to eachother, a cone located at the lower end of said telescoping pipes, andmeans for adjustably supporting said cone, substantially as described. I

8. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a rotatable shaft,and a distributing device-adapted to be secured to one end of said shaftand including a central support, and curved plates, said plates flaringoutward from said central support and having their edges bent upward,the upper edges being separated from each other, substantially asdescribed. Y

9. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a rotatable shaft anda distributing device. adapted to be secured thereto, said distributingdevice consisting of a supporting wheel with a screw threaded hub, aseries of curved plates attached to said wheel, said plates flaringoutwardly from said wheel and having their edges bent up with the upperparts of said edges diverging from each other, and each of said platesbeing secured to the two adjacent plates, substantially as described.

10. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a rotatable shaftand a distributing device adapted to be carried thereby, saiddistributing device consisting of a wheel provided with a screw threadedhub, a series of distributing plates bolted to said wheel, said platesflaring outwardly from said wheel and being bent upwardly having theirupper edges separated from each other, but secured together, andprotecting clips secured over the lower part of the meeting line of saidedges, substantially as described.

11. In a distributing apparatus, the com bination of a supporting frame,a rotatable shaft mounted in said frame and carrying a distributingdevice at its lower end, a hopper open at both ends surrounding saidshaft, and means for adjusting said hopper relatively to said shaft,consisting of sustaining cords running over guide pulleys and adjustingpulleys, substantially as described.

12. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame,a rotatable shaft mounted in said frame and carrying a distributingdevice at its lower end, an open ended hopper surrounding said shaft,and means for adjustably supporting said hopper consisting of cords eachattached at both ends of said hopper, and running over guide pulleys andadjusting pulleys, and means for securing said adjusting ulleys in anydesired position, substantia ly as described.

.13. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame,means for attaching it to a hatch coaming, a rotatable shaft pivotallymounted in said frame, a distributing device carried by the lower end ofsaid shaft, means for adjusting said shaft relatively to said frame, anopen ended hopper surrounding said shaft, means for adjusting saidhopper, telescoping pipes surrounding said shaft and located within saidhopper, a distributing cone located at the. lower end of said pipes, andadjustable means for supporting said cone, substantially as described.

14. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a rotatable hollowshaft, an eye bolt secured .in the upper end of said shaft, a pulleyadjustably secured to said shaft, :1. distributing device carried by thelower end of said shaft, a supporting frame provided with bearings, andmeans for pivotally sup porting said shaft in said bearings,substantially as described.

15. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting framecomposed of a. central portion and arms projecting therefrom, hearingson said central portion, a thrust saddle pivoted in said bearings, and ashaft adjustably mounted in said thrust saddle and carrying adistributing device at its lower end, substantially as described.

16. In a distributing device, the combination of a supporting framecomprising a central portion. and projecting arms, hearings on saidframe, a thrust saddle pivotally mounted on said bearings, a rotatableshaft in said thrust saddle and carrying a distributing device at itslower end, a thrust sleeve located between said thrust saddle and saidshaft, and means for locking said sh aft in said sleeve, substantiallyas described.

17. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame,comprising central rectangular portion and arms n'ojeeting therefrom,bearings mounted on said frame, a thrust saddle pivotally mounted insaid bearings, a thrust sleeve engaging said thrust saddle, a rotatableshaft :nljustably secured to said thrust sleeve, a driving pulley adjustablysecured to said shaft, and a distributing device carried on thelower end of said shaft, substantially as described.

18. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame,a rotatable shaft carried by said frame, a distributing device carriedby the lower end of said rotatable shaft and rotating therewith, adeflecting membcrlocated above said distributing device for laterallydirecting the material under treatn'ient to said distributing device,said deflecting member being stationary with reference to said rotatingdistrilmting device, and means regulating the position of delivery tosaid deflecting member substantially as described.

19. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame,a vertically adjustable rotatable shaft, means for pivotally supportingsaid shaft on said frame, and means for rotating said shaft,substantially as described.

20. In a distributing apparatus, the com bination of a supporting frame,a rotatable shaft mounted thereon, means for rotating said shaft, adistributing device carried at the lower end of said shaft, anadjustable pipe encircling said shaft, means for holding said adjustablepipe rigid when in its various adjusted positions, and a deflectingmember carried at the lower end of said adjustable pipe, said adjustablepipe being also provided at its lower end with an internal bearing forthe lower end of said rotatable shaft, substantially as described.

21. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame,a vertically adjustable rotatable shaft pivotally suspended therefrom,means for rotating said shaft, a

distributing device carried at the lower end of said shaft, a piperigidly supported by said frame and encircling said shaft, a second pipetelescoping on said first pipe, means forrigidly securing said pipes intheir relatively adjusted positions, and a deflecting member carried atthe lower end of said second or telescoping pipe and comprising a hollowcone, said second or telescoping pipe extending substantially to thebase of said deflecting member and provided with an internal bearing ofBabbitt or other suitable metal for journaling the lower end of saidrotatable shaft, substantially as described.

22. In a distributing apparatus, the combination of a supporting frame,comprising a central portion and a plurality of radiating arms, clampsfor securing the ends of said arms to a hatch coaming or similarsupport, said clamps consisting of a pair of clamping members connectedby a transverse bar, and a set screw for securing said arms between saidmembers of each clamping device, whereby any substantial lateralmovement causes a pair of said divergent arms to bind against saidclamping members, and means carried by said frame for distributing thematerial to be stowed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE C. ELLERTON.

Witnesses MYRON G. CLEAR, J. STEPHEN GIUSTA.

